{"id":2322,"date":"2026-09-14T12:51:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T12:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.hhs.com\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2026-09-14T13:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T13:02:14","slug":"senate-health-panels-to-hold-confirmation-hearings-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmsdev.hhs.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/senate-health-panels-to-hold-confirmation-hearings-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Health Panels to Hold Confirmation Hearings This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senate Health Panels to Hold Confirmation Hearings This Week<\/strong> \u2013 Several of the Trump administration\u2019s health care nominees are scheduled to appear before lawmakers during their confirmation hearings this week. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee will consider the nominations of Chris Klomp, MBA to serve as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and Ge Bai, Ph.D., CPA to serve as an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. Klomp will then appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Wednesday, alongside Nicole Saphier, M.D., the nominee for Surgeon General, and Timothy Westlake, M.D., the nominee for Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.<\/p>\n

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House Democrats Consider Formation of AI Select Committee \u2013 <\/strong>Democrats in the House of Representatives are considering the formation of a select committee on artificial intelligence should they retake control of the chamber in November, according to POLITICO. The talks are being led by Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.). House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has reportedly been included in the planning effort and expressed an openness to the idea. House select committees are created through a full House vote and operate for only the two years of the Congress that created them.<\/p>\n

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Wyden, Hassan Write Secretary Kennedy on \u201cVanity Project\u201d Spending \u2013 <\/strong>Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and committee member Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) have sent a letter<\/a> to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his use of time and taxpayer funded resources to promote his personal brand. \u201cOn a bipartisan basis, Congress has provided your department with targeted resources to fight outbreaks of disease….However, it appears that you are not using this Office or comparable department resources to address ongoing public health crises,\u201d the senators write, \u201cInstead, you appear to be directing taxpayer dollars and official federal resources to produce vanity projects.\u201d The lawmakers specifically request records and information related to projects such as Kennedy\u2019s \u201cThe Real Food Show,\u201d and \u201cThe Secretary Kennedy Podcast.\u201d<\/p>\n

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HHS Announces Key FDA Leadership Selections<\/strong> \u2013 HHS recently announced the selection of four senior leaders at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to HHS, the appointments are intended to strengthen FDA leadership as the agency focuses on innovation, national health security, access to affordable medicines and medical products, and health and wellness. The selections include:<\/p>\n